Thursday, May 12, 2016

Sens. Klobuchar and Tillis: We can’t let burn pits become the new Agent Orange

A prosthetic leg. A scarred face. A burned hand. When we think of the
wounds our soldiers endure, we think of injuries we can see. But
sometimes these wounds go unseen and, too often uncared for.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. sprayed 80 million
liters of Agent Orange, contaminating water and exposing more than two
million members of the military.

After being exposed to this toxin, Vietnam vets came
home with nerve, skin, digestive and respiratory disorders. By the
thousands, veterans turned to hospitals for help. But it took the
government years to recognize that there was a link between Agent Orange
and the devastating health effects on our soldiers. So, veterans had to
wait to get the care they desperately needed and clearly earned.

Today we have a new Agent Orange: Burn pits.

At military sites across Iraq and Afghanistan, burn
pits are used for waste disposal. Old batteries, aerosol cans, tires,
dead animals, and even human waste are tossed into the pit and set
ablaze, sometimes aided by serious fire accelerants like jet fuel. Burn
pits represent a shortcut to waste disposal in the Middle East, where
lacking infrastructure means there are few alternatives for trash
disposal.

The volumes and types of materials vary by site, but
the Department of Defense has estimated that between 65,000 and 85,000
pounds of solid waste are burned each day at large bases. One Joint Base
burned up to 147 tons of waste per day as recently as the summer of
2008. The open-air pits would frequently burn 24 hours a day. Soldiers
are, and have been, been exposed to them in a big way. And while they
are now being replaced with incinerators and landfills, that exposure
has begun raising serious health concerns.

Melissa Gillett was a member of the 148th Fighter
Wing based in Duluth, Minnesota. Melissa got into the National Guard
with the intention on staying in for 20 years. That changed after her
deployment to Afghanistan and exposure to burn pits. Melissa has
experienced a host of negative health effects like sinus and respiratory
issues. She has been diagnosed with asthma and sinusitis. Because of
her breathing issues, Melissa was unable to pass her fitness test and
can no longer serves in the National Guard.

Stories like Melissa’s are all too common. During sustained
operations overseas, many North Carolina-based service members were
directly exposed to burn pits for extended periods of time. Especially
in the early stages of engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, forward
operating bases relied heavily on burn pits, inundating Marines from
Camp Lejeune and soldiers from Fort Bragg with smoke, debris, and
lingering particle dust that carried along a toxic mix from the burn
pits.

When a veteran’s wounds aren’t visible, providing the
proof necessary for a claim with the VA can be burdensome. But it
shouldn’t be – we’ve learned that much from experience.